


intertwined

by buggywriter



Category: Mighty Ducks (Movies)
Genre: M/M, charlie just wants adam to feel like a duck, gordon is a good dude for once, hand holding, no beta we die like men, takes place in d1, technically can be read platonically or romantically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buggywriter/pseuds/buggywriter
Summary: Charlie felt like a genius.That was, until he actually tried to go through with his plan.It was simple, really. He just needed to take Adam’s hand in his while they did laps. There was nothing to it and yet, Charlie’s stomach was a bundle of nerves as he walked in the locker room and saw that it was empty other than Adam unzipping his duffel bag.
Relationships: Charlie Conway/Adam Banks
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	intertwined

Charlie didn’t know how it got in his dumb, eleven year old brain but he was suddenly set on the idea of holding Adam’s hand. It first came to mind when he overheard Connie telling Tammy about how Guy had finally held her hand when they were heading home from the North Stars game.

It wasn’t Charlie’s fault. There was only so much room Bombay’s van and the girls weren’t exactly quiet. 

“Do people actually like that stuff?” Charlie peeked over the top of his seat, wrinkling his nose in confusion. 

“Girls do, mostly.” Tammy said with a shrug. 

“It makes us feel appreciated. Makes us feel like boys actually care.” Connie chimed in matter of factly, breaking out into a fit of giggles with Tammy. “Guys can like it too, though. Guy seemed to like holding my hand ‘cause he didn’t let go for almost the whole game.” 

Tammy gasped at that, but Charlie didn’t really get it. He just felt like your hands would get really sweaty. “Really?”

“Yeah! Hey Adam,” Connie looked over Tammy, causing said boy to look over like a deer caught in headlights.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like if someone held your hand?”

Adam didn’t answer right away. If Charlie didn’t know any better, he’d say Adam looked rather uncomfortable over the question. “I guess.” Adam shrugged. 

That seemed to satisfy the girls enough, because they went back to their own conversation, not even bothering to ask any of the other boys. Adam and Charlie locked eyes and shared a funny look before Adam turned back to the window and Charlie turned back in his seat.

Interesting. 

Ever since Adam joined the Ducks, it was clear he felt like an outsider. Charlie couldn’t blame him; they hadn’t been the most welcoming and he was often the butt of some of their jokes. He was quieter than anyone he had ever met. Maybe Charlie could do something to help feel more included.

He had already tried inviting Adam to his house which didn’t work much; it seemed Adam’s dad wasn’t too open to the idea of letting his son go over to Charlie’s place just yet. He had also tried to invite him to the pond to play a game for fun, which Adam also declined. Third time’s the charm, Charlie guessed. 

This time, he wouldn’t be inviting Adam anywhere. He’d just try and include him more during practice. Then, his dad couldn’t stop him from doing anything. 

Charlie felt like a genius. 

That was, until he actually tried to go through with his plan. 

It was simple, really. He just needed to take Adam’s hand in his while they did laps. There was nothing to it and yet, Charlie’s stomach was a bundle of nerves as he walked in the locker room and saw that it was empty other than Adam unzipping his duffel bag. 

“Hey, Adam.” Charlie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, wincing at how the other boy immediately tensed and turned around, his eyes wide. “Sorry.” He stuffed his hand into his pocket and took a step back. 

“Hey, Charlie.” Adam mumbled, letting out a deep breath. “Sorry, I just.. didn’t hear you come in.”

“Yeah, my mom needed to drop me off a little early ‘cause she has work today.”

“Oh, that’s cool. My dad just wanted me to warm up a bit before practice.”

“Nice.” 

“Mhm..” Adam said, slowly turning back to his locker once the silence got awkward. Charlie got the hint, heading down the short aisle and putting his worn backpack down on the bench. 

They got their gear and skates on in a matter of seconds, leaving the locker room in silence until they got on the ice. 

“Wanna run a few laps with me?” Charlie asked Adam, ignoring the way his stomach flipped in response to the other boy shooting him a small smile.

“Sure.”

Charlie nodded, suddenly remembering his idea from the other day. “Hey, uh.. Banksy?”

“Yeah?” 

“Gimme your hand.”

Adam gave him a skeptical look but took off his glove and held out his hand to the boy next to him. Charlie was quick to toss his gloves onto the bench, taking Adam’s hand in his and just holding it for a moment. “Is that okay?”

Adam’s face was suddenly very red, Charlie assumed it was just from the cold. “Yeah, that’s fine.” He said quietly. 

“Cool.”

Charlie was quick to pull Adam along, his laughter echoing through the empty rink as they skated laps. Neither kept count, too busy focusing on the warmth between their hands. 

Somehow, their fingers had gotten intertwined; neither Adam or Charlie knew who did it but they weren’t about to complain. It felt good, especially with their lack of gloves. Charlie wondered if that was also why he felt so warm in the chest. He couldn’t think straight when he was thinking about Adam’s smile, or the way his cheeks and nose were rosy. 

Before Charlie knew what was happening, he was tripping, pulling Adam down with him. They slid across the ice and into the boards, breaking out into another fit of laughter. 

“You okay?” Charlie asked once their laughter died down. 

“Yeah. I didn’t hit the boards too hard and I’m wearing knee pads.” Adam sighed, sprawled out on the ice like a starfish.

The sound of double doors opening made the boys jump up to standing. Adam’s hand flew to the other boy’s and gripped it tightly, making Charlie feel like his breath was knocked out of him. “Is someone there?” A man’s voice rang out, and before they could run or hide, the figure of Bombay was before them, a fond but exasperated smile on his lips. “Hi, guys.”

Charlie let out a sigh of relief, giving Adam’s hand a soft squeeze when he finally relaxed. “Hey, Coach.” He hoped Bombay couldn’t see their hands behind the boards. 

“You guys are here early.”

“Yeah.” The boys said in unison, ignoring the weird look they got from their coach. 

“My mom has work.”

“My dad wanted me to get a nice warm up.”

“Ah, okay.” Bombay nodded, looking a bit skeptical. “The other kids should be here soon. You guys can have a little face off before they do?”

Charlie rose a brow at Banks, who just smiled back excitedly. “Sure.”

“Great.” Gordon clapped his hands together. “I’ll plan out some drills while you do that.”

The two boys went over to box, their hands still intertwined as they picked up their sticks. It seemed neither wanted to part as they just stared at the puck sitting on the bench. 

“You two okay?” Bombay called from the bleachers.

“Yeah, yeah.” Charlie said, squeezing Adam’s hand before quickly tearing it away to grab it. He tried his best to ignore the way his cheeks burned. 

He held up the puck with bright eyes, a crooked smile on his face. “Ready, Banks?”

“You know it, Conway.” Adam said, his excited expression morphing into a more determined one. Charlie knew that look; it happened whenever Adam got on the ice. He seemed to get out of his head and truly get into the game. Charlie wished he could be like him in that way. He thought too much on the ice to the point where it messed with his playing. It sucked.

The puck was dropped without another word and Adam was quick to breakaway, the cold air biting at his nose as he skated past Charlie. 

Charlie pivoted in place and skated after the other boy, letting out a grunt as his stick collided with the other boy’s, the puck stuck between them. He turned his stick and pushed the puck towards the attacking zone, his smile fading as Adam trailed after him, so close he was practically stepping on the back of his skates. 

Charlie was quick to fake, raising his stick and bringing it down so slowly that Adam had a chance to get in front of the net, his eyes widening as Charlie went around the goal and shot it through the side. 

Charlie let out a whoop, his legs feeling like they were gonna give out when Adam nudged him with his shoulder and smiled. “Nice going, Conway. Hopefully you’re that good in next game.”

“Yeah.” Charlie said, moving his bangs out of his face. “We can keep—“

“Charlie, Banks! How long have you guys been here?” Averman called from the bleachers, Goldberg and Guy not far behind him. 

“Not too long.” Charlie said, throwing down his stick. Adam did the same, before Charlie took him by the hand and dragged him over to his friends. Charlie pretended he didn’t notice the small frown on his face or the weird looks he got from his friends. 

“Why are you guys holding hands?” Goldberg asked, his brows raised.

Charlie just shrugged. “Guy and Connie hold hands.”

“But Connie’s my girlfriend.” Guy said, his cheeks rosy. “We’re supposed to do that stuff.”

“And we aren’t?”

“I don’t think so. Not unless you’re boyfriend and girlfriend.” Averman said, glancing between the two boys before correcting himself. “Or, boyfriend and boyfriend.”

“Are you guys boyfriend and boyfriend?” Goldberg asked with a goofy smile. 

“Oooh! Adam and Charlie kissing in a—“

“Who said anything about kissing?”

“Can boys even be together?”

Averman suddenly stopped singing, a rare look of thoughtfulness on his face. “I dunno. Can you actually be boyfriend and boyfriend?”

“Is that a thing?” Goldberg asked. “Can we ask Bombay if that’s a thing?”

“Yeah!” Averman and Guy ran off to find their coach, bringing him over to the others only moments later. 

“What’s up you guys?” Bombay asked, a skeptical look on his face as he looked over the group. None of them seemed to be hurt so that was a good sign. 

“If two guys hold hands does that mean they’re dating?”

Bombay’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Well, uh.. I mean— I guess it depends... Why are you asking?”

“Charlie and Adam were holding hands like Guy and Connie do so we were just wondering.”

“Yeah,” Charlie piped up. “Are there rules against that kind of stuff or something?”

“Well, no.” Bombay said as he sat down on the bench. “If you guys like holding hands you can hold hands. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dating but.. there’s no rules against two boys being together.” He shrugged. 

The boys took a moment to consider what he had said, nodding like he had delivered some wisdom. Finally, Guy broke the silence. “Okay, cool.”

“Yeah, cool.” Goldberg and Averman said, running off to the locker room to put on their skates and gear. 

Bombay was about to walk away, stopping in his tracks when Charlie called out to him. “Hey, coach!” He turned around, a small smile on his lips as he looked down at the boys’ intertwined hands. “Thanks.”

“No problem, you two.” Bombay said before disappearing into the locker room as well, leaving Adam and Charlie alone on the ice.

“Wanna play another round before everyone else gets here?” Charlie asked, giving Adam’s hand a squeeze. 

“Sure.” Adam said, smiling the widest Charlie had ever seen. 

If Adam kept smiling at him like that, it had to mean Charlie’s plan was working, right? He’d take being teased by the others any day if it meant seeing Adam this happy. Holding his hand was just a plus.


End file.
